Last month Marriott introduced its first big promotion since launching their new program.
However not everyone was able to register for it. William Sanders, the Starwood Lurker, explained that this was intentional:
Just an FYI, members that are part of the control group for this offer are not going to be able to register for it. You can try calling to register, but if the associate doesn’t find the offer on your account, then it won’t be possible to do so.
Marriott reached out to say this information is mistaken, and everyone is supposed to be able to register.
- Plenty of commenters shared that they weren’t able to register, and the explanation of just not being eligible made sense despite the terms and conditions making no mention of this.
- Members were calling Marriott and being told they could not have the promotion added to their account.
The company insisted this shouldn’t be the case. They suggested I tell members to call. But what about members that did call and were told no dice?
Marriott says call centers are supposed to register anyone with a problem and the offer terms say everyone is eligible (unless they are earning miles instead of points).
It appears that Marriott does want to get everyone registered. So if you tried to register online and weren’t able to, call. If you called and were told you couldn’t be registered, e-mail me and include your name, e-mail address attached to your account, and Marriott Rewards number.
“…in reviewing our records that procedure was followed.”
This strikes me as disingenuous, at best.
If they want to make good, have them figure out a way to move dates on reservations made in the SPG system. RIght now you have to cancel, wait 10 days or so, and hope the points return from limbo. In the meanwhile, availability could dry up, they won’t put it on hold, and I’d be left with nothing. This is a reservation of 360k points, so not easy to book a new one without the points from the old one.
Still can’t register, not calling them, continuing to book away.
How about just fixing the issue, Marriott? Why should a PPE (or anyone) have to call and hold for 45 minutes because their IT is awful? It’s insulting for them to think this is how they “make good.”
Can’t register. Not interested in calling, especially when everyone says they are on hold forever.
I attempted several times, can’t register. Not interested in calling–why should I call and be on-hold for an hour to tell them something their website should handle? That’s their customer service? Seriously?
I registered via the SPG Megabonus email/link. That seemed to work and I had been unable to register (even after multiple tries) on Marriott’s page.
I’m with several of the other respondents: tried registering via the link last night and again today, and not going to waste my time calling. If they can’t get their IT house in order, I’m not going to spend my time on hold, and I’ve booked my next two trips at a Hilton anyway.
The real story here is the crap-tacular promo. Why even bother?
That, and the ongoing Marriott customer service meltdown.
Also tried to register multiple times through email links they have sent me, through the mobile app where the offer is prominently displayed and today through an email link provided from my SPG Amex personal card. All of them provide a message that I am not eligible to enroll. Not interested in calling Marriott to wait on hold for hours. As others said, I am just cancelling my existing reservations and moving them to competitors. If Marriott isn’t interested in fixing their IT and making this convenient for me then I am not interested in providing them with my money. I had over 20 nights booked for this quarter but they are all going elsewhere at this point. This merger has been a complete and utter failure on the implementation side since the integration began in August.